Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Clinical Pathology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Pathology
. 1979 Sep;32(9):935–943. doi: 10.1136/jcp.32.9.935

Biotypes of Klebsiella pneumoniae (sensu lato) and Enterobacter aerogenes characterised by differential substrate metabolism: application of the technique.

J G Barr, G M Hogg
PMCID: PMC1145855  PMID: 389960

Abstract

A biochemical typing method is described for Klebsiella pneumoniae (sensu lato) and Enterobacter aerogenes. The technique depends on differences in metabolism of five carbon substrates--glycerol, inositol, lactose, glucose, and xylose--at two concentrations. Reproducibility is satisfactory and is monitored by the incorporation of control klebsiellae of known biotype. The method has been used for 12 months in the surveillance of urinary tract colonisation in this hospital. Gut carriage of klebsiellae, implicated by several workers as a source of infection, was common among staff and new admissions. Many biotypes were represented which were sensitive to most antibiotic except ampicillin. Klebsiellae, all multiply resistant, were isolated most frequently from urine specimens in two orthopaedic wards. In a longitudinal study in these wards, a sequential dominance in urinary tract colonisation by two klebsiella biotypes was shown, which suggested the presence of cross infection or an environmental reservoir. Confirmatory evidence was obtained from capsular serotypes and R-factor studies.

Full text

PDF
935

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Barr J. G., Mahood R. J. An assessment of inositol fermentation by Klebsiellae and its implication in screening media. J Clin Pathol. 1976 Sep;29(9):827–832. doi: 10.1136/jcp.29.9.827. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Barr J. G. Variation in metabolism of biochemical test substrates by Klebsiella species: an epidemiological tool. J Med Microbiol. 1978 Nov;11(4):501–511. doi: 10.1099/00222615-11-4-501. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Casewell M. W. Experiences in the use of commercial antisera for the capsular typing of klebsiella species. J Clin Pathol. 1972 Aug;25(8):734–737. doi: 10.1136/jcp.25.8.734. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Casewell M. W., Phillips I. Epidemiological patterns of Klebsiella colonization and infection in an intensive care ward. J Hyg (Lond) 1978 Apr;80(2):295–300. doi: 10.1017/s0022172400053651. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Cornelis G., Luke R. K., Richmond M. H. Fermentation of raffinose by lactose-fermenting strains of Yersinia enterocolitica and by sucrose-fermenting strains of Escherichia coli. J Clin Microbiol. 1978 Feb;7(2):180–183. doi: 10.1128/jcm.7.2.180-183.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Curie K., Speller D. C., Simpson R. A., Stephens M., Cooke D. I. A hospital epidemic caused by gentamicin-resistant Klebsiella aerogenes. J Hyg (Lond) 1978 Feb;80(1):115–123. doi: 10.1017/s0022172400053432. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Heddell G. W., Mitchell A. A. Evaluation and application of an improved bacteriocin typing method for Klebsiella aerogenes. J Clin Pathol. 1978 Jan;31(1):16–21. doi: 10.1136/jcp.31.1.16. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Montgomerie J. Z., Doak P. B., Taylor D. E., North J. D., Martin W. J. Klebsiella in faecal flora of renal-transplant patients. Lancet. 1970 Oct 17;2(7677):787–792. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(70)91458-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Palfreyman J. M. Klebsiella serotyping by counter-current immunoelectrophoresis. J Hyg (Lond) 1978 Oct;81(2):219–225. doi: 10.1017/s0022172400025043. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Reeve E. C., Braithwaite J. A. Lac-plus plasmids are responsible for the strong lactose-positive phenotype found in many strains of Klebsiella species. Genet Res. 1973 Dec;22(3):329–333. doi: 10.1017/s0016672300013124. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Rennie R. P., Duncan I. B. Combined biochemical and serological typing of clinical isolates of Klebsiella. Appl Microbiol. 1974 Oct;28(4):534–539. doi: 10.1128/am.28.4.534-539.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Riser E., Noone P., Poulton T. A. A new serotyping method for Klebsiella species: development of the technique. J Clin Pathol. 1976 Apr;29(4):296–304. doi: 10.1136/jcp.29.4.296. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Riser E., Noone P., Thompson R. E. The use of a fluorescence typing method in an epidemiological study of Klebsiella infection in a London hospital. J Hyg (Lond) 1978 Feb;80(1):43–56. doi: 10.1017/s0022172400053389. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Selden R., Lee S., Wang W. L., Bennett J. V., Eickhoff T. C. Nosocomial klebsiella infections: intestinal colonization as a reservoir. Ann Intern Med. 1971 May;74(5):657–664. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-74-5-657. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Slopek S., Maresz-Babczyszyn J. A working scheme for typing Klebsiella bacilli by means of pneumocins. Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz) 1967;15(4):525–529. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. de Silva M. I., Rubin S. J. Multiple biotypes of Klebsiella pneumoniae in single clinical specimens. J Clin Microbiol. 1977 Jan;5(1):62–65. doi: 10.1128/jcm.5.1.62-65.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Pathology are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES